Hello ,
If I could take inspiration, box it up and mail it to you---I'd share every bit of my experience at the recent Society of Children's Books Writer's & Illustrators 43rd Annual Summer Conference. It's impossible to sum it all up, but I'm going to pass along some of the highlights because I think they are applicable in every field.
Find the Courage to Create |
The wisdom of folks like Tomie de Paola, who has created more than 200 children's books and won nearly every award in children's publishing surely translates to others besides writers and
illustrators. The conference was a celebration of Tomie de Paola's 80th birthday, and though illness prevented him from being there in person, his presence via Skype was larger than life. He spoke about the courage required to be creative. I get up in the morning and I have to face a blank piece of paper and my brushes all
clean and ready to go. I panic, I freeze, I know I'm going to make a mistake... By then it's the afternoon! Tomie's advice: "Try reading The Courage To Create, modern society almost doesn't understand the creative act. So know you'll probably be misunderstood and try to make something anyway." Over the five days of the conference a theme seemed to present itself. Speaker after speaker touched on the idea
that writers and artists must be looking deep within for the subject of their work, that originality is necessary for the creation of something lasting and that it takes time and hard work to succeed. I was especially touched by the transparency and humility of highly successful writers as they talked about the difficulties they experience even after decades of writing and many best-selling
books. Judy Blume, whose novels have sold more than 80 million copies and been translated into 31 languages admitted she's stuck on the revision of her current manuscript. She said in her early days as a writer, she would have given anything to have a supportive group like the SCBWI. Children's Author Judy Blume, center, rubs elbows with attendees at the SCBWI Summer Conference. (Photo courtesy
of Alexis O'Neill)
Meg Rosoff, whose novel HOW I LIVE NOW won the Guardian Prize, Printz Award, Branford Boase Award and made the Whitbread Awards shortlist, urged Do not be afraid to be afraid... We all know writing is bloody difficult, sometimes I hate being a writer. When I get stuck
half way through a book, and I always do... when I'm convinced that my career is over... I want to hit my book over the head with a shovel... and bury it in the garden in the dead of night... And marry rich. Meg was inspired as a teen by the classic A WRINKLE IN TIME, by Madeleine L'Engle in which the main character's flaws turn out to be strengths. "Our flaws embarrass us," Meg said. "Treasure your faults. They [can become] the engine, the rocket
fuel of your life." One of my personal highlights was a character workshop with New York Times Bestselling Author Maggie Stiefvater. I'm a huge fan of her book THE SCORPIO RACES and got really nervous when it came my turn in the workshop to talk about my own current novel project. She was incredibly gracious in offering suggestions, as well as in sharing her own writing journey and how she's learned and grown along the way. I was so encouraged to
hear how hard she works, even now after so many successful books. Stephen Chbosky author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower received cheers and applause from the audience of 12-hundred when he said, "Nobody else is you. Do it for you and you'll do it for the world. Books
change lives. Books save lives." All very inspiring for writers of children's and young adult literature, but true enough for anyone. Nobody else is you. Your unique gifts can change the world. Agree? Disagree? In your own experience, does creativity require courage? I'd love to hear your
thoughts. Maybe it's finally movie time for Madeleine L'Engle's A WRINKLE IN TIME. Variety reported earlier this week, Jennifer Lee, who wrote and co-directed Disney's
"Frozen," will write a bigscreen adaptation of L'Engle's book for Disney. According to Variety, A WRINKLE IN TIME "was one of Lee's favorite novels as a child, and she
impressed Disney executives with her take on the project, which emphasizes a strong female-driven narrative and creatively approaches the science fiction and world-building elements of the book." L'Engle's book was published in 1962 and won the Newbery Award the following year. It's a science fiction story of a sister and brother who travel through time and visit strange worlds in order to find their missing scientist father. More here... In PURE GRIT news, I visited via Skype this week with a group of readers at the Barnegat Branch of the Ocean County Library in New Jersey. Newsletter subscriber Lisa Taylor is the Senior Youth Services Librarian at Ocean City and she was the winner in a random drawing for the free Skype visit. Lisa has invited a number of authors to visit via Skype with the boys in a book group at her library, and even wrote an article with tips for making your Skype visit go smoothly. If you're interested, let me know and I can forward the article to you. Here's a list of authors who Skype with classes and book clubs for free. Thank you for reading! I know you time is valuable and I appreciate you spending a few minutes with me today. I am always happy to hear your thoughts If you know someone who
might enjoy this newsletter, please forward this e-mail. Currently, new subscribers will be entered in a drawing to win a $25 gift certificate to their favorite independent books store. I will never spam you or sell your email address, you can unsubscribe below anytime with a single mouse click. If you'd like to get your hands on a copy of PURE GRIT, here's the place! If you'd like a signed copy and I'm not coming to your neighborhood soon, let me know. I can send you a personally autographed book or a signed bookplate. To find out more about my books, how I help students, teacher and librarians, visit my website at www.MaryCronkFarrell.com. My best, Mary Questions? Comments? Contact me at MaryCronkFarrell@gmail.com. Click here to subscribe to this newsletter.
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